Self-disturbances, cognitive biases and insecure attachment as mechanisms of the relationship between traumatic life events and psychotic-like experiences in non-clinical adults – A path analysis

• Published in: Psychiatry research 2018-01, Vol.259, p.571-578
• Main Authors: Gawęda, Łukasz, Pionke, Renata, Krężołek, Martyna, Prochwicz, Katarzyna, Kłosowska, Joanna, Frydecka, Dorota, Misiak, Błażej, Kotowicz, Kamila, Samochowiec, Agnieszka, Mak, Monika, Błądziński, Piotr, Cechnicki, Andrzej, Nelson, Barnaby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety - psychology; Attachment; Cognition; Cognitive biases; Female; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Object Attachment; Psychotic Disorders - psychology; Psychotic-like experiences; Self Report; Self-disturbances; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.009

Although traumatic life events have been linked to psychotic-like experiences, the mechanisms of the relationship remain unclear. We investigated whether insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment styles, cognitive biases and self-disturbances serve as significant mediators in the relationship between traumatic life events and psychotic-like experiences in non-clinical sample. Six-hundred and ninety healthy participants (522 females) who have not ever been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders took part in the study. Participants completed self-report scales that measure traumatic life events, psychotic-like experiences, cognitive biases, attachment styles and self-disturbances. Our model was tested with path analysis. Our integrated model fit to the data with excellent goodness-of-fit indices. The direct effect was significantly reduced after the mediators were included. Significant pathways from traumatic life events to psychotic-like experiences were found through self-disturbances and cognitive biases. Traumatic life events were associated with anxious attachment through cognitive biases. Self-disturbances, cognitive biases and anxious attachment had a direct effect on psychotic-like experiences. The results of our study tentatively suggest that traumatic life events are related with psychotic-like experiences through cognitive biases and self-disturbances. Further studies in clinical samples are required to verify our model. •Traumatic life events are related to psychosis risk in non-clinical sample.•Cognitive biases and self-disturbances mediates this relationship.•Traumatic life events were related to anxious attachment through cognitive biases.•Cross sectional design of our study preclude from causal inferences.•Studies on clinical population are required for further verification of the model.